All to Pieces
by CorinthianScore
Summary: A moment of perfect silence fell between them. Rose was frantically trying to formulate her next argument. It was his move. Finally, Ron addressed her with an air colder than she had ever seen before, "Scorpius is not welcome in my house. And if you go through with this," he shuddered, "then neither are you."


"Are you sure you're ready for today's inevitable lynching?" Rose questioned, running around the bedroom, trying to think of everything she could possibly need for the day, grabbing her pearl earrings off of the vanity and sending a lint roller in Scorpius' direction.

"Maybe they'll take it better than we're anticipating?" Scorpius offered, "Do I really have to use the lint roller?" he whined.

"Yes, you do. My mother doesn't like extra fuzz around the house." she instructed, marching over to him and doing it herself, "My parents aren't going to be thrilled when we tell them. Let's not give them anything else to grown about while we're over. This needs to go for right now, too." she whisked a hand over the tattooed snake that spiralled its way up his arm, "Although I find it incredibly sexy I'm not so sure my father would." she spoke a mile a minute, running into the kitchen to pull a pie from the oven.

"Seriously. Pie?" Scorpius asked in exasperated disbelief.

"We're late. I thought this might soften them up a bit."

Scorpius rolled his eyes, watching her zoom around the flat, grabbing her wand off of the counter and straightening her neat pencil skirt, "Did you take care of that tattoo?" she asked once more, nerves getting the best of her.

"Indeed I did." he rolled up his sleeve to show her the evidence, "Concealed to your exact specifications."

"You're being a fantastic sport about all of this. The whole family is going to be at this dinner. I just want them to like you."

"I want them to like me, too." he chuckled nervously."

She breathed a sigh of relief, "I think that just about does it, then. Are you ready?"

"When you are." he concurred.

"Alright." she nodded, balancing up on her toes and offering him a quick peck on the lips, "I love you."

"I love you, too." Quickly, he took her hand before Apparating, landing with a thud in the sands just across the way from the Weasley household. They collected themselves quickly, making their way to the door.

"Damn it. I forgot the necklace." Rose groaned almost immediately after they'd stepped onto the porch.

"What necklace?"

"The one Dad gave me for Christmas. It compliments the ring nicely."

"You're really schmoozing, aren't you?" Scorpius asked, letting out a hearty laugh.

"I'm trying my best. Is it too obvious?" she chuckled nervously, ringing the doorbell.

When the door opened to the two of them, it wasn't her mother as Rose had come to expect. In front of her was none other than her Aunt Ginny, "Hello, Darling." she mused, "We were beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Oh, I just had to wait for the pie to finish." she smiled, handing it over to her aunt.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Ginny finally questioned, stepping out onto the porch and shutting the door behind herself. He'd been standing, politely quiet throughout the entire exchange. They'd both hoped that Ginny wouldn't question them, but also knew that was hopeless.

"Right." Rose shook her head dreadfully, "Aunt Gin, this is my flatmate - Scorpius."

"Let me just make sure I'm not mistaken here, because I do believe that by flatmate, you mean the boyfriend you've shacked up with. Is that what you're saying?"

"Actually, that's what I was trying very hard not to say." Ginny gave her niece a disapproving look, "Listen, they know that school's out and they know I've got a flat in town. They just don't know - exactly - who I'm sharing that flat with."

"Scorpius." Ginny took a moment to allow the name to register, "You're Draco Malfoy's son?" After a quick nod from him she sighed, shaking her head, "You realize your father is going to lose it?"

"Do you think Mom will take his side on this one?"

"I'd say it's probably any man's game." After a moment's silence, she cranked the door open once again, "You'd better come in from the cold, then. We held dinner for you. You're mother is serving now." she offered, leading Rose inside with Scorpius quick on her heels.

"We'll need another place setting, Hermione." Ginny called, reclaiming her own seat, between her husband and youngest son.

"Sorry for the trouble." Scorpius murmured, scanning the room nervously.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all." Hermione babbled, filling a plate. It was only when she turned around that she caught sight of who she was preparing it for and the plate when crashing to the floor. Ginny ducked down to clean up what had fallen, as Roxanne stood to guide her Aunt Hermione out of the way of the shattered porcelain and into a seat.

"What on Earth is going on out here?" the man of the house questioned, bounding out from his office at the end of the hall at the sound of the commotion.

"It's nothing, Ron. I've just dropped a plate is all." Hermione called in return, waving her wand to take care of the mess a moment later, "Are you joining us for dinner as well or will you be staying in the office tonight?"

"What is he doing here?" Ron gasped, stopping dead in his tracks. Not one person in the room dared to so much as lift a fork to their mouth, "Answer my question." he barked, color beginning to rise in his face, "What is he doing in my house?"

"He didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas, Dad. I didn't think-"

"No, you didn't think, Rose Marie."

"Daddy, I think you're overreacting."

"Of course you do, Rose, because your mother and I have done our best to protect you from the past. Do you have any idea what his family's done - to your mother and me and your Uncle Harry?"

"I understand that." Rose nodded, unconsciously taking a step in front of Scorpius, "You've said it yourself, Daddy. It's in the past."

"Ron, if you keep yelling you're going to wake up the baby." Ginny hissed, pointing to the cradle just across the way in the living room, where her fourth child lay sleeping.

"You can stay for dinner, Scorpius." Hermione finally said, clearly uncomfortable, but not wanting to displease her daughter at least until after dinner, "Pull over a chair. I'll make you a fresh plate. Ronald, you should have a seat as well." she instructed, pointing to the empty chair at the head of the table.

"I don't mean to be an imposition, Mrs. Weasley. Perhaps I should be on my way."

"Absolutely not. You are not being an imposition. Now, tuck in." she insisted, finally sitting a plate down in front of him, "I'm sure you remember Roxanne."

"Sure do. Best Keeper Slytherin's had in years." he smiled, reaching out for a high-five from his former teammate.

"And the rest of the kids - I'm sure you've met." Hermione rambled on.

"I've seen them around, yes. You've got nearly the entire Gryffindor Quidditch Team sitting at your table, Mrs. Weasley. They're legends back at Hogwarts."

Small talk continued for some time. Most of the chatter was over Quidditch (since that was a topic that nearly all of them knew plenty about), although every once in a while, it would change to the weather, family friends, and how nice Rose's new earrings were.

"Scorpius got them for me when he was in France for a training session."

"What is it that you're training to do, Scorpius?" Ginny asked, finishing off what pie was left on her plate

"I'm training to be a healer." he murmured, seeming to take everyone by a bit of surprise, "St. Mungo's sent me to the session in France, where they taught us these new potions that help to reverse the affects of early on-set dementia."

"Fascinating. I'd love to hear more about that, if you ever have a few minutes." Hermione offered, "I was training to be a healer for a few years myself, until I was called out by Ron's dad to work for Muggle Artefacts."

"Intriguing work, I presume?"

"Not really, when you grew up around the stuff, but I wouldn't tell Arthur that." she chuckled quietly. Once she'd seen that everyone was pretty much done, she stood up once more, "Ron, help me clear the table?"

"I've actually got to get back to my office." he grumbled quietly, pushing his chair back so fast it nearly fell over, "Thank you for dinner, Hermione. Hugo will help you clean up."

Feeling as though he was squandering his final opportunity to talk to Rose's father, Scorpius called after him, "Mr. Weasley, I was wondering if I might have a moment-"

"Not now." he called back grufly, shutting his door with a resounding thud.

After a moment of silence, Rose finally stood, "I'm going to get some air."

"Me too." Roxanne and Victoire said in tandem, pushing their chairs away as well. The three cousins had known the drill from toddlerhood. If one said they needed air, the others followed almost immediately afte.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Roxanne started in almost immediately, "So, does any of this have to do with the rock on your finger?"

"Jesus, Roxanne. Do you care to say that any louder? I don't think the neighbors heard you." Rose whispered in return, pulling at the ring subconsciously.

"Are you serious?" Victoire guffawed, lifting the other girl's hand to get a better look, "It's huge!"

"I know. I've been wearing it for nearly a week now and I still can't believe it myself." Rose chuckled, "He'd had to have been saving for the better part of the year."

"I mean, we knew you were an item, but we never knew you were this involved." Roxanne continued, "We heard you talking to Aunt Ginny on the porch. You're shacked up. It's crazy."

"Don't tell me that the two of you are going to try to talk me out of it. You two are my confidants. We've kept secrets for each other since we were kids."

"Believe me, Rose, if ever there was a perfect couple, you and Scorpius would definitely fit the bill. I'm not exactly surprised at the way your dad acted though, after everything his family put him through."

"I guess there was a part of me that was just hoping that Dad could look past the fact that he was a Malfoy." Rose shrugged, "I know it wasn't realistic. I've heard all of the stories, but still."

The three cousins sat out on the porch together, talking through the night's happenings together, until another person came to join them on the steps, "Scorpius, what are you doing?" Rose questioned, standing up tentatively, "Did you talk to him?"

"Yeah, I talked to him." he said in a voice that suggested it had not gone well by any means, "He wants to see you in his office."

Ashen, Rose entered the house once again, glancing over to her mother and her aunt who sat on the couch in the welcome room, "How bad is it?" she asked timidly.

"Obviously he's not thrilled, Rose Marie. How could you keep this from us?" Her mother questioned, her arms folded in front of her. Ginny gave her sister-in-law a jab in the ribs that didn't do much to calm her, "It's not even the fact that he's a Malfoy. I truly could not care less, Rose," she whispered, so Ron wouldn't be able to hear from his office, "It's the fact that you've been lying to your father and me this entire time. And for what?"

"I was afraid of precisely what's about to happen." Rose murmured, ducking her head, "Dad's pissed at us both, isn't he?"

"Language." her mother hissed, receiving nothing but an eye roll from her daughter, "But, for lack of better terms, yes. He is. Rose, your father and I love you no matter what choices you make in life. I just wish you would've told me. Moving in, becoming engaged - these are big things - things a mother should be there for."

Rose realized that her mother's rage, unlike her father's, was not because she had chosen to be with the Malfoy boy but because she had chosen to hide it. Her mother had wanted nothing more than to be a part of her daughter's life and Rose had refused her the privilege. Suddenly, she began to feel horrible for having submitted her mother to the pain she had.

"Go. Talk to you father. We'll be out here when you're done." Hermione urged finally. And when Rose turned away, she could've sworn she heard her mother's quiet cry.

"You wanted to see me?" Rose practically whispered, opening the door to her father's study quickly and shutting the door behind her.

"Sit down, Rose." he demanded in an icy tone that only ever came out when her father was truly infuriated, "Do you have any idea what that little - rat - was on about? He asked for my blessing for you two to be married." he spat, "My blessing, Rose."

"Yes, he did." she nodded hesitantly, "I was aware."

"The Malfoys have been nothing short of disgusting to our family for generations."

"I'd say you were pretty disgusting to Scorpius toight as well." she mumbled, her eyesbrow quirked, waiting for his response.

They were followers of Voldemort during the war. Do you have any idea what they've done? Can you possibly wrap your head around all of the terrible things that the Malfoy family-"

"Of course I know." Rose snapped back, quickly becoming defensive, "I know everything. All the things you never wanted to talk about, I learned it all at shcool, from both perspectives."

"Do enlighten me, then. Please." he griped, rolling his eyes.

"I know that they did terrible things during the war, but they also paid the price for it. I know that Lucius Malfoy was tracked down only weeks after the war and brought to the Ministry, where he received the Dementor's Kiss, and now he's rotting away in Azkaban for all time. And Narcissa suffered from breakdowns for years before she finally kicked the bucket." she spat as her anger built up its momentum, "Scorpius' father hasn't yet forgiven himself for the terrible things he's done, but he's worked hard to prove himself.

"And I'm sure that's not what you want to hear, because the way you see, your side is the only one that suffered, but you're wrong." she continued full-speed-ahead, "Scorpius is good. He is good to me and he is kind. All we wanted was for you to give your okay. That's it."

Her father sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing at his temples, "I won't give it my consent." he repeated, "Rosie, he's got you brain washed. Can't you see it?"

"I'm not brain washed, Dad. I'm just in love with him. Is that so hard to believe?"

"No, don't say that. You are not in love with anyone." he shook his head.

"Yes, I am."

"No." he barked, slamming a fist down on his desk "You're not."

"Fine. Dad," Rose finally sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat, "we didn't come to ask for your permission. We came today to let you know that it's happening. We've been engaged for a while now - and it's happening."

A moment of complete silence fell between them. Rose was trying to formulate her next argument in her head, while her father was clearly trying to digest the information he'd just been given. Finally, Ron had himself together enough to be the first one to speak, "Scorpius is not welcome in my house. Is that understood? And if you go through with this," he shuddered, "then neither are you."

Rose stammered. She could have started crying right then and there, but held it together only barely, "Are you asking me to choose between you and him?"

"I will not have a Malfoy in my family, Rosie. I'm sorry. It's just the way it is."

"Just the way it is." she choked, turning her back to him and making her way toward the door. With what little fight she had left in her, she managed to whisper, "Send me an owl when you are ready to talk like civilized adults, Father."

As she made her way back down the hallway, Rose finally let her tears flow freely. Of course, when her aunt and mother saw they both jumped to her aid, just as Rose sank to her knees in hysterics, "It can't have been that bad, can it?" Ginny asked, sitting alongside her and taking her hand as she shook with sobs.

"He doesn't want to see me ever again." the younger girl choked out, tears practically free-falling.

"No, that's not true." her mother insisted, "He's mad now, but he'll calm down and then we'll-"

"He said I'm not welcomed in his house - unless I break off the engagement."

"His house." Hermione practically choked, clearly hurt, "There isn't going to be any of that." she shuddered, pushing herself to her feet and marching down to his study. She didn't even bother to knock before barging in.

Once the door was securely shut behind her sister-in-law, Ginny turned to face Rose completely, "Okay." she sighed, trying to replace her grimace with a hopeful smile, wiping her niece's tears away, "Here's what you're going to do. You're going to go home and you're going to wash your face. You're going to go to sleep and when you wake up tomorrow, it's going to be a new day and all of this is going to be done and over with and you're going to have a wonderful Christmas. Okay? Can you do that?"

"Yeah." Rose nodded feebly, "I think I can do that."

"Good. Now stand up." she commanded, helping to lift the girl slightly by the elbows, "And give me a hug. I love you." she assured.

"Thanks, Aunt Gin." Rose mumbled, stepping away.

Slowly, the girl made her way outside. She couldn't breathe a word to her cousins for fear of another breakdown. Rose barely managed to link her fingers with Scorpius' before disapparating back to the flat.


End file.
